Western cyclone., 1887-11-04
HARD LINES.


ROBERT l. hnox, who has been con-
nected with the Panama railway for the
past six months. was = passenger on
the steamer Acapulco. which Srrived
here Sept 70. saws The San FraacSsc1
EIamiSer. He was brakiu. on the
railway. and resigaed his position
seversl weeks before sailing.
Il left Baltimore last winter he
said ''to look after work | had been
idle for some time and didn't care much
what | took hold OF. l got an offer TO
go 10 Panama and brake on the rail-
Way. and thinking of what lad been
told OF the climate. and being glad
enough to get an opportunity to 90 to
work. accepted the offer.
IL arrived at Panama in due season.
and was about to begin work two days
after leaving the steamer when was
! seized with a terrible fever. The air is
thick and unhealthy. and | could
scarcely breathe. | was convalescent
at the end of week. but had some
thing of the appearance of 4 skeletun.
''eing only 4 ghost of my former self
Its not necessary TO relate my own
experience; what Was III he WAS that of
everyone who gees there to stay.
Panama comes nearer being Hades
than any place l was ever in. In the
rainy season the cOlored people die of
ike a herd of cattle when disease
spreads among them On one place
on the line daily funeral trains are run.
The cemetery is fourteen miles from
Aspinwall. sud in the rainy season
have seen i've ira rs drive down there.
They have curious way of burying
people there. When the train reaches
the graveyard the corpse Is thrown
into u hole two or three feet deep. and
the coffin is taken hack 10 carry some
other poor unfortunate 10 his last rest.
ing place.
Il went down one day 10 see the
canal laborers At work. and l never
will forget what | saw there. About
four hundred men were al work in
this one place. Every nationality was
represented. There WAS the Scandi-
navian tOiling in his mechanical way.
the Hibernian was joking while he
shoveled. tue Afr can negro. the Ja-
maica negro. Mrxican>. English.
French, Russians Turks. all were
there. and the john Chinaman. with
his na;ty cue, worked in a broken
hearted manner. signing for the Fl0we-
~ Kingdom which he left hoping to
better his fortunes IN foreign country.
Where the Inen were at work the
ground was soft. muddy YOU would
call it here. When it is muddy there
the ground - like mush two feet tleep.
1t was soft that day and Gfty or more
fresh coiored fellows had been brought
In. In the afternoon HE heat and the
air had their effects upon them and one
by o1e they fell | SAW one man hit
on the heal by the excSvxt ng machine.
He was killed. The body was imme-
diate!g hoisted into the dumping tube.
sent through the machine. aud that
was the last seen of him. You can see
some shocking sights down there.
''At nightfa'l when the men are
through work for Tue day they begin n
nights debauch on whisky smugoled
into camp Whisky 10 not allowed
around. bnt it Is impossible for the
/ superintendent 10 enforce the rules,
The men will drink. Ii they did not
believe they would 90 crazy. When
they become intoxicated nothing will
satisfy them but fight.
'If they would iight with their fists
it would not De so had. but long sharp
knives are drawn and are red with
blood before sheathed again. Some
times the most horrible butcheries are
committed. and while Que man is being
stabbed and hacke to pieces. the 9th
ers stand of and jeer. and comment
on the beauty Of the contest.
In big city YOU can see human
nature in bad forms. but the worst
ioTm> oI vice praciIced IN New York
and London and Pars are nowhere
when compared with what can be seen
every day on the isthmus.
After one Of the contractors on the
railway shot one of the canal-workers
who attempted his life. they are very
careful how they treat the railway
hands The latter go well armed. and
on the first motion made by any of The
blacks the pistol IS drawn. II the con-
ducioEs were not careful and fearless
the trans would DC held up frequently.
The Amer can government has not
the name that England mas on the 18th
mus of Panama
One reason Is that the United States
does not protect her citizens in \ for